Hi James, thanks for checking in. We had an INCREDIBLE vacation. The staff, the drivers, and all tour guides and hotel managers were so friendly and accommodating and the hotels and tours were all very high quality. Having all of our transportation pre-arranged made it so easy to get around the country and really utilize every minute we had. We will absolutely recommend your services to others and Costa Rica and Panama are definitely on our list for future travels!
Thank you again so much for your consistent communication and organization and helping to make this a great experience.
Thanks again and we’ll be in touch soon!Alyson Hendry, Texas

Greetings James,
I’m sorry it has taken me a few days to get back to you. Many e-mails to sort through and always something to catch up on when you have been away from home for several days. First, just let me say that our experience in Nicaragua far exceeded our expectations. Everything went right on schedule. The only delay we experienced was in Atlanta waiting for the Delta flight to take us to Managua. Mechanical problems with the aircraft delayed our departure almost 2 hours. John called Nicaragua Vacations and spoke with a very helpful employee who assured us he would let our driver in Managua know of our situation. When we arrived, Juan Ramon Cabrera Ovando was waiting for us at the gate. He drove us to the beautiful Hotel Dario in Granada where we had a delightful stay for 5 nights. Juan was our driver during our stay in Granada and Rene Mena was our tour guide. They were both delightful!! I cannot say enough about these two men. They have become our friends and we look forward to possibly meeting them again one day. We exchanged personal e-mail addresses, fb, etc., and plan to keep in touch. Rene was very knowledgeable about the area, spoke English well, and just an all around nice person. Juan speaks very little English and was not as personable at first but by the time he took us to the ferry to travel to Ometepe we had become friends regardless of the language barrier. We made it work with the little English he speaks and the little Spanish we speak. The Nicaraguan people are gracious, delightful people and the country is absolutely beautiful!! Those two things have not changed even though it has been years since I lived there as a young girl. The only thing we did not get to do while in Granada was see Volcan Masaya due to the rain which caused a lot of extra gasses, so it was closed to tourists. Juan rearranged his personal schedule so that he could pick us up after our stay at Pelican Eyes so that on the way to the hotel in Managua he could take us to Masaya volcano. We were so surprised and delighted to see him in San Juan del Sur. It was just him, no English-speaking guide, but we made it work and had a delightful last day in Nicaragua before departing for home the next morning. That is what I call “going above and beyond” what is expected! Juan was at the hotel, with his usual smile and contagious laugh, the next morning at 5:00 a.m. to take us to the airport. A few tears were shed when we said good bye to our new “amigo.” That is the kind of experience we had throughout our stay in Nicaragua. Everything went perfectly. Drivers/tour guides were always on time to pick us up and everything you said we would experience on each tour we did and then some. Our time at Totoco Eco-Lodge on Ometepe Island was an experience of a life time. Martijn Priester (owner) took us on a tour of the property and we definitely learned a lot about the area. He is a very gracious person and someone we will not soon forget. Neftali Paizano was our tour guide for the island tour of Ometepe. He, too, was a delightful person. It rained off and on that day so he had to change up a few things we saw due to the weather but again a wonderful experience. He took us to a primary school/medical-dental clinic/ and a physical therapy/speech therapy clinic where Neftali volunteers. We loved seeing the children, and since I am a pre-Kindergarten teacher visiting with the children on Ometepe and in St. Nicholas with World Vision was the highlight of my time in Nicaragua. Now on to our time in San Juan del Sur…What can I possibly say to adequately describe Pelican Eyes Resort other than to say…our accomodations at Casa de Trinitaria and the view from our 2nd floor porch was breathtakingly beautiful. As my daughter said, “this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen!” Again, the staff, waiters, housekeeping crew, and drivers during our stay in San Juan del Sur were excellent. They made us feel “right at home.” The canopy tour we took while there was the experience of a lifetime…to say the least!! Words fail me to describe how wonderful our experience in Nicaragua was. I will definitely recommend you and Nicaragua Vacations to everyone I can. You are part of a top-rate company who delivers what is promised and actually exceeds all expectations. Thank you so much for sharing your time, knowledge, and expertise while helping us plan our vacation to Nicaragua. I hope to be able to work with you again in the future. We will definitely be returning to Nicaragua one day.Zan Crawford, Alabama

James,
I just wanted to thank you for all of your help with our trip to Nicaragua. We had a great time and enjoyed all of the tours that you arranged. Both hotels were great as well.
We ended up having to stay an additional day because my oldest got sick…it wasn’t bad having to stay at Mukul for one more night!
Again, thank you for everything!Rachel Firschein, District of Columbia

James:
The vacation was very nice. We enjoyed it very much. Only one thing, the Spa did not have a place close to the beach, so it was a big trek up and down stairs to get to the restaurant and beach. Other than that it was very nice. Next year, maybe Belize. Do you do that country?Nadine Sullivan, California

James,
Yes, we made it home. It was a sad day when we had to leave Mukul. We had a great time. The facilities, amenities, the food and the golf was excellent. We were especially surprised about how friendly and pleasant the people were. They do a good job with their staff.
We are talking about going back in January. Maybe go to Liberia and then go up to Mukul. That way we could experience Costa Rica also.
At Mukul you feel a little isolated and you are living is sort of a bubble. I am not sure what it would feel like living there? Maybe for 3 months at a time?
The ride in is a little intimidating. Especially the last 10 km at 10PM in a downpour. You are not sure if you are going to a resort or a jungle prison camp??
It was great. You will probably hear from us again in a few months.Jim Hubbard, Arizona

Hi James,
We LOVED Nicaragua! It was certainly all that I had hoped it would be and more. Overall, it was a fabulous experience and we had almost no issues. Working with both you and the guides and drivers was a pleasure.
Although I have no need to make Managua a part of the itinerary in the future, I am so glad we had a city tour. Our guide was awesome and the Spanish/Latin American history teacher in me loved this tour most of all! Our guide was so informative, forthcoming with tons of information and answered so many questions, etc. Los Robles was lovely and comfortable, too and the staff was welcoming and kind.
We really enjoyed Big Corn. It’s beautiful and the people we met were wonderful. The hotel itself was beautiful, clean and comfortable, but I was not impressed with the staff or the food. Breakfast was okay, but for other meals, it was horrible. The wait staff was very unpleasant, unfortunately. We did venture out and had dinner at La Princesa and Mama Lola’s, both of which were outstanding meals! Next time, we would love to venture to Little Corn.
We also loved Granada! What a cool little city! The hotel was fabulous and the staff was very warm, welcoming and helpful! We had some delicious meals all around the city and would absolutely go back! Our guide here was great, too.
Juan Ramon, who was our driver, all but the first night we arrived, was outstanding! He was so personable and friendly and also acted as a ‘guide’ in a way, when we didn’t have a guide with us. It was truly a blessing to have him as our driver.
We are certainly hoping to return to Nicaragua, sooner rather than later, hopefully. There is a lot of country left to see and explore!
James, we can’t thank you enough for helping us plan such a fantastic trip! We look forward to working with you in the future!Alicia Shippy, New York

Hi James,
Thanks so much for the note. The trip was FANTASTIC, seriously the best vacation I’ve ever been on and it’s all thanks to you and your team! Everything – from the hotels to the tours/tour guides, restaurants, airport transfers, staff, etc- exceeded my expectations. I fell in love with Nicaragua and the locals, it’s truly a beautiful country and I can’t wait to go back! I’m certainly keeping your information on file to book another trip in the future and am sharing it with friends who are planning honeymoons, getaways, etc. Thanks so much for an unforgettable experience…I miss Nicaragua already!!Jodie Cantrell, Indiana

Dear James,
We want to thank you for the vacation package you put together for us, we had a wonderful time. The drivers and guides did an excellent job from the time they picked us up from the airport and took us back again. We especially want to thank Claudia for her help in moving us to a different hotel from the one we booked. In Granada the Hotel Patio del Malinche the room was too small for us and she managed to book us into a larger room at the Hotel Dario. It made all the difference and we can’t thank her enough. On Corn island the hotel Casa Canada we beautiful, the staff very friendly, good food, the 7 days we stayed there went by too fast.Ralph Jones, Texas

James,
The trip was A-MA-ZING!!!! Everything was so perfect and seamless. It is actually the best trip we’ve ever had. My husband was so thrilled! And Jicaro was incredible. It was like living on Fantasy Island. I have told all of my friends and I will definitely recommend you to everyone. Thanks for everything.Annette Melvin, New York

James,
We are back in the USA I am sorry to say. I would have loved more time in Nicaragua. The itinerary you put together for us was perfect. Our trip could not have been better. Thank you for everything. You did a great job!!!!!!Larry Friedman, Nevada

Hi James,
We just came back from Nicaragua. I want to to tell you that your choice of the hotels was magnificent.
“El Convento” is a piece of art by itself. Everything worked pretty smoothly – tours and transfers.
Thank you very much for your help. Are you doing only Central America or South America too? It was pleasure working with you.Sofia Zinkovskaya, Ohio

James,
thanks for your help during the trip. we are home safely and had an incredible time. Everything was just wonderful…and I am so glad we did make it over to little corn island. Little Corn Beach & Bungalow is really such a special place!!! I just loved it and wish we could have snorkeled but you can’t change the weather. We LOVED Nicaragua and all the places you sent us to.Fran Talarico, Massachusetts

Hi James,
Our vacation to Nicaragua was great! I love it! You arranged so perfectly! Nicaragua has so many beautiful things to discover! Your services were great and certainly I will refer it to our friends.Yohanna Gonzalez, California

The trip was fantastic: I have traveled in Costa Rica and Guatemala on several occasions – They are a bit more polished and tourist-ready. Nicaragua has a ways to go – but is inherently beautiful. I am glad you are including Nicaragua in your business plan. The country deserves better than it has had in the last oh,,, 100 years. On specifics: the boat/ bicycle trip was worth the price! (Bone rattling bike ride and not meant for cowards but absolutely fun experience) …. The city tour was good – guide was just fine…. Hotel Dario was fantastic – and reasonably priced. The transportation to and from Aqua Wellness Resort was reliable, efficient, and polite. Aqua Wellness is a fantastic place – not for children or elderly however given the 210 steps from top to bottom. The beach is absolutely out of this world great… monkeys, butterflies, birds, etc…. so the pictures which are beautiful could not possibly do the place justice. I will, of course, recommend your company (and Nicaragua) to friends and family.Pauletta Otis, District of Columbia

Hi James,
I hope everything is well with you. I was very pleased with my vacation last week, I loved Aqua Wellness Resort. The experience all and all was great. Thank you very much for all your help. Have a great day.Holly Herrera, California

Good Morning James,
Here is the scoop:
1st place – Luxury life
2nd place – Pure life
3rd place – Real life
Let me explain. Pelican Eyes was amazing. It had beauty, it had a great little town, a great place to party on the beach front, wonderful food totally the best 1st place to go. And also tons of steps. 2nd place, Aqua Wellness Resort, again lots of steps, but this place brought us back to reality, we arrived to no electricity, it is 98 degrees , but did reading on this and knew to expect that this could happen, and knew the answer was to have a cocktail, however along with no electricity means no ice means warm cocktails, so at first we thought you have got to be kidding we just left Pelican Eyes – WHY??!! But then we figured it out. PURA VIDA! I met a girl there, she was there for 5 days already staying for another week for the yoga and meditation and then it clicked – what more could we possibly want? We have it all… private beach with all the beauty and amazing sunsets, surrounded by nature and best of all I could enjoy the man of my life without the hustle and bustle of the outside world except for the monkeys. And thank you for that. The 3rd place was perfect. After having pure life to see the real everyday life. Hotel Dario in Granada was a perfect location in the middle of everything and life was happening there. Great food, wonderful people, great tours with a great tour guide, Eduardo. We saw poverty which broke your heart but the people were happy and lived such a simple life. I will be back to Nicaragua next year. I am hoping for 3 weeks if you can work your magic again that would be great! Also if you can send me your business card as I have a hair salon and as you can tell I like to talk a lot! Thank you you did a great job with all of our places and I learned a lot of life lessons. AMAZING!Michelle Regec, Pennsylvania

Hi James,
We are back safely now. We had an amazing time in Nicaragua. You did an exceptional job orchestrating the trip. We loved the experience and our kids were ecstatic.
We really liked how you set it up so that we gradually drifted south. Starting with Leon was a good first stop. Granada was a great next step and San Juan del Sur was really fun and relaxing.
Your team was great accommodating some last minute requests. We added a tour through the sawdust carpets and a trip to have our kids take an art class from a local painter in Leon.
We also hired a guide to take us on a “food tour ” of great authentic local foods in Masaya and Granada.
Overall, a great trip. Don’t be surprised if we are calling again to do another trip next year in Nicaragua. We want to check out the Corn Islands and the Caribbean side.
One comment for what it’s worth would be to put together a list of really good places to eat. When we asked for suggestions from hotels etc. we were given really crappy places that were geared toward tourists. Overpriced club sandwiches and freaking tostones. But we came to find that the local food was exceptional so long as we stayed away from places with menus in English. Anyway, just a small suggestion. We’d love to refer you (and will, given how happy we were).
Thanks again!Christian Payne, California

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